


Say Something

by fransunflower



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Babies, Comfort, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Funny, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27213511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fransunflower/pseuds/fransunflower
Summary: It's the unexpected that changes our lives.
Relationships: Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg
Comments: 27
Kudos: 25





	1. a new beginning

**Author's Note:**

> For Liv, Josie, Daisy, Gia, Meg, Lyd, Will and Evy. I love you.

C.J. sits on the couch in their small California apartment. Her hands are folded in her lap and she wrings them uncomfortably as she waits for Danny to get home from his trip to the grocery store. She had been sick this morning but she had assumed it was just something she had eaten. Danny had come rushing into the bathroom and held her hair back even though she had told him not to bother. Afterwards, Danny had ordered her to stay in bed and made her breakfast, which C.J. barely touched. When he had left to run some errands, C.J. had done the math. Her period is late. Two weeks late. Fifteen days to be exact. That never happens. Even when she had been under extreme stress during the campaigns, her period had always been on time. It was the only thing she could rely on. Until now.

C.J. doesn't know how she didn't notice before. She has been so caught up in her work lately that she's barely had time to think about anything else. But surely, she should have noticed? She's not sure how she's going to tell Danny, doesn't even know if she _wants_ to tell him. What if she's wrong? What if it's nothing? C.J. doesn't have time to think about what she's going to say - _if_ she's going say anything at all – because in this moment the door opens, and she can hear Danny tossing his keys on the kitchen table. C.J. gets up from the couch and walks into the kitchen where Danny is currently putting the groceries away.

"Hey…," she says softly, making Danny jump and turn around. C.J. almost laughs at that.

"Hey…" Danny smiles when he sees her. "I thought you'd be in bed," he admits. C.J. looks at the ground. "You feeling better?" C.J. just nods. The nausea has gone away, but she wouldn't say she's feeling well. "Do you want anything?" Danny asks as he puts the last items in the fridge. C.J. shakes her head but then realizes that he's standing with his back towards her.

"No. Thank you," she says quietly.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny presses and walks over to her. His concern is touching and C.J. almost tells him right there, in their kitchen. But somehow no words come out.

"Yeah. I'm fine," C.J. assures him, her voice raspy. "I think I need to sit down."

"Okay." Danny gently touches her elbow and leads her to the couch in the living room. He grabs a blanket from the nearest chair and pulls it over her. "Do you want some tea? I'll make you some." Danny leaves the room before C.J. can protest and now she's alone with her thoughts. She doesn't know why this is making her nervous. This is Danny. _Danny_. Danny who loves her. Danny who said they would figure everything out together. But will they figure this out as well? "Here you go," Danny says and hands C.J. her goldfish cup. Danny got her that for Christmas last year as a joke but C.J. thinks it's her favorite.

"Thank you," she mumbles as she lets the steaming mug warm her hands.

"No problem," Danny tells her. "Do you need anything else?" C.J. shakes her head. She can't tell him. Not now. Not like this. "Alright. I'll just get my computer." Danny turns around to leave and suddenly C.J. can't control herself anymore.

"Danny, wait," she yells and gets up from the couch. He turns around to look at her.

"You okay?" He looks a little confused at her sudden outburst.

"Yeah - I mean no. Not really. But also, yes," C.J. stammers, trying to find the right words.

"C.J., what's going on?" Danny asks, taking a step towards her.

"I… well. Here's the thing." What is the thing exactly? Why can't she just tell him?

"You're kinda scaring me here, C.J.," Danny jokes but she can hear the concern in his voice.

"It's nothing," she assures him. That is clearly a lie. It's not nothing. It is, in fact, a very big _something_.

"You can tell me," Danny says and moves closer to her. C.J. can now smell his cologne. She looks up and meets his eyes.

"I think I'm pregnant." It comes out as a whisper and C.J. isn't even sure Danny heard her. "I think I'm pregnant," she repeats, louder this time. Danny just stares at her. "Danny…?" He doesn't say anything for a long time.

"You _think_ you're pregnant?" he asks. C.J. isn't sure what kind of reaction she expected but this certainly isn't it.

"Well I haven't taken a test yet. But I'm late so… I'm pretty sure." Danny only nods. C.J. looks at him with tears in her eyes. "Danny…?" He stands very still and doesn't meet her eyes. C.J. wants to yell at him but she can't. " _Say something_ ," she whispers. "Please, Danny. Say something." He looks up at her, a sad smile playing on his lips. Or maybe it's not sad. Maybe that's just her.

"Just wait here for a second. I'll be right back." And with that, he runs out of the apartment. C.J. is left alone in the living room, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She doesn't know what to do. This is not how she had thought that conversation would go. She thought he would tell her that everything would be alright, that they would figure it out together, that she didn't have to be scared. Instead, Danny had said nothing. And now, he's gone. C.J. sits back down on the couch, staring at her hands. Her tea has gone cold. She feels numb and like she can't breathe. A quiet sob escapes her lips and she reaches up her hand to cover her mouth. She wants to call someone, her dad maybe, but he wouldn't understand what's going on. She could call Donna or Carol or even Abbey, but she doesn't want to bother them, and she wants to know what Danny is thinking before she talks to anyone else. It feels like hours until Danny finally returns. He walks through the kitchen and into the living room with a plastic bag in his hand.

"Hey, you," he says softly and sits down next to her. "Sorry for running out like that."

"You should have talked to me," she snaps. "I _need_ you to talk to me." Her voice breaks and she looks away. Danny reaches out to take her hand and C.J. doesn't pull away. His hand is soft, and she holds on to it as if it were a lifeline. How many nights has she woken up from a nightmare and fumbled in the dark to find this hand? How many nights has this hand pulled her back to reality when she was reliving the shooting at Rosslyn?

"I know. I'm sorry. That was wrong." C.J. wipes her tears with the back of her free hand. "I'm sorry. I am." C.J. smiles at him.

"It's okay. You came back." Danny squeezes her hand and lets it go. Immediately, she misses the warmth and comfort from it.

"I got you something," Danny says and reaches into the bag he has brought with him. He fumbles around for a second until he finally pulls out a little box containing what C.J. assumes can only be a pregnancy test and hands it to her. C.J. takes it from him and stares at it. "So we can be sure," Danny explains.

" _Thank you_ ," she mouths and holds the test closer to her body.

"I don't think only looking at it will do the job." Danny teases. "I think you have to pee on it to get a result." C.J. scoffs and wipes her nose in her sleeve even though she hates it when people do that. Danny takes C.J.'s hands and pulls her to her feet. She feels a bit dizzy and holds onto him until the feeling goes away. "You alright there, C.J.?"

"Yes… just a bit dizzy," she tells Danny and squeezes his hand. "I'll be right back." C.J. walks away but before she can reach the bathroom, Danny calls her name. C.J. turns back around.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," he says quietly as if to assure her that however the test turns out, he'll be there. C.J. smiles softly and walks to the bathroom. It takes her a while to pee on the stick because she's too scared of the outcome. She doesn't know what she wants it to be. The bathroom walls seem to be closing in on her as she reads the instructions. It has been years since she's given up the hope of having children one day. Being Press Secretary and then Chief of Staff weren't exactly jobs that allowed you to have a lot of time to think about starting a family. And with whom? There had been Simon, of course, but he died before C.J. even had the chance to _think_ about a future with him. And even with Danny she thought it was too late, that they were too old. C.J. has made her peace with that. She's alright with just being Aunt C.J. to Molly and Huck or any children Josh and Donna might have. Yet here she is with a pregnancy test in hand, trying to figure out how she and Danny are going to make this work.

When she comes out of the bathroom, Danny is leaning against the wall, waiting for her. For a reason unknown to her, C.J. shakes the test as if that will make it go faster.

"We have to wait for a few minutes," she says somewhat uncomfortable.

"Okay," Danny says. "You wanna go sit down and wait?" C.J. nods and follows him into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Danny. She puts the test on the coffee table in front of them and looks away. She doesn't know why but she can't bring herself to look at it. Danny reaches over and pulls her a little closer. He rests his chin on her shoulder and C.J. can feel his breath on her neck. "Whatever happens," he begins, "I'll be there." C.J. turns her head to look at him and smiles softly. It's difficult for C.J. to talk about her feelings, always has been, so she stays quiet. When her mom was still alive, C.J. would sometimes crawl into her bed and they would talk about love and friendship while her dad worked in his study. Her mom would make hot chocolate and they would stay up until C.J. fell asleep with her head in her mother's lap. The memory brings tears to her eyes and she immediately shoves it away. They wait for what seems like hours but it's probably no more than two minutes.

"Can you look? I don't think I can," she admits. Her hands are shaking, and her breath is shallow. "Please?"

"Of course." Danny takes the stick from the table and C.J. can see him look at it out of the corner of her eye. In that moment, she knows what she's hoping for, knows what she wants the test to say.

"I think it's positive," Danny says and C.J. can hear the smile before she sees it.

"Well, what does it say?" Before Danny can answer, C.J. rips the test out of his hands. And sure enough, there's a tiny plus sign. A tiny plus sign that means she has a little human growing inside her, a little human she and Danny made. C.J. doesn't know why but she's not as scared as she thought she would be.

"You alright?" Danny asks as he looks over her shoulder. C.J. just nods, staring at the small test in her hand. She can't believe it.

"It could be wrong. Could be a false positive," she says, her eyes not leaving the test.

"Do you want it to be?" Danny asks and C.J. can almost hear the hurt in his voice. She shakes her head as she looks over at Danny. "I don't think it is."

"Me neither." And she doesn't, not really. Danny pulls her closer and leans his forehead against hers. C.J. wraps her arms around his neck and takes a deep breath. "We're having a baby," she whispers.

"Yeah?" Danny asks and runs his hand up her waist.

"Yeah." C.J. nods.

"Good. Because otherwise I would have gotten all of this stuff for you for no reason," Danny tells her and pulls away, reaching for the plastic bag again. C.J. sniffs and lets out a small chuckle.

"You got me something?" she asks, wiping the last tears away.

"Why do think I was gone for so long?"

"I thought you were mad," C.J. admits. Danny looks at her with a pained expression in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says and C.J. knows he means it. She smiles and squeezes his knee. The bag is now in Danny's lap and he is looking for something. He finally finds it, a triumphant smile decorating his face. "Here you go!" He holds out a tiny onesie that has _I HEART SANTA MONICA_ written on it. It's so tiny C.J. can't believe an actual human being will ever be able fit into it. She reaches out a careful hand to take it from Danny as if she's afraid to break it.

"It's so tiny," she says in a quiet whisper, holding the onesie close to her. "I don't think _my_ baby will fit in it." Danny laughs at that.

"I think we'll be fine," he assures her and reaches into the bag again. "I also got this one because… well I don't really know why." He hands her another onesie and C.J. laughs when she sees it says _I LOVE MY MUM… Dad is okay, I guess_. She turns it around for Danny to see.

"This is so cheesy," she says but she loves him for getting it. Danny just shrugs and pulls a little hat out of the bag. It's about the size of C.J.'s fist, possibly smaller. "Okay, now, _this_ … our kid will never be able to wear. Have you seen the size of me?" C.J. let's the little hat rest in her lap as her fingers ghost over it. Danny hands her a teddy bear that is so soft, C.J. isn't entirely sure she won't just keep it for herself. Then she remembers that she's a 44-year-old woman and should probably not steal stuffed animals meant for her unborn child. "Seriously, Danny did you buy everything in that tourist shop?"

"Just everything in the baby section." There's a moment of silence where C.J. just stares at the items in her lap, overwhelmed that someone would actually do this for her. Silent tears start streaming down her face and there's nothing she can do to stop them. Danny looks up at her and takes her hands in his.

"Hey, hey," he says calmly, as if he were talking to a child. "It's going to be alright. Everything will be fine." A loud sob escapes her lips before C.J. can stop it. "What's wrong, C.J.?"

"It's just the hormones," C.J. tells him but she's pretty sure she's not fooling anyone.

"C.J…." They look at each other for a moment. Neither of them expected to be in this situation yet here they are.

"What if we can't-"

"We'll figure it out," Danny promises. "All of it." C.J. is reminded of the night where she came to visit his apartment after their big fight out on the street.

"You don't know that!" C.J. protests. "I don't know the first thing about being a mother."

"Come on. I saw you with my niece last month. You're great with kids," Danny tries.

"Oh, right. One afternoon. A lifetime. That's the same," C.J. scoffs and jumps up from the couch. She starts pacing back and forth behind the coffee table. Suddenly, she feels dizzy, like she's going to throw up. She stops moving.

"C.J., what's this really about?"

"This is what it's really about, Danny," she snaps. "I can't do it. I don't know how. What if I fuck up?" Danny stands up and walks towards her, pulling her towards him by her wrists.

"You're not going to fuck up," he tells her.

"You don't know that." She looks down at their joined hands, her vision blurry from the tears.

"But I do." Danny lifts her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him. Suddenly, C.J. remembers why she fell in love with him in the first place. There was always something about him… the ability to calm her down whenever she was stressed or nervous. To tell her everything would be alright and have her believe him.

"I'm scared," C.J. admits. "I'm scared, Danny."

"That's okay. You can be scared. But-"

"I'm not gonna walk away from this because I'm scared. I know," she finishes for him. They both smile at the memory. Danny reaches over and picks up one of the onesies from the couch. He holds it up for C.J. to see.

"Come on. Anything that can fit into this can't be so scary, right?" C.J. takes the onesie from him.

"I suppose not," she admits.

"There you go." Danny pulls her closer, wrapping his arms around waist. C.J.'s rests her head on his shoulder. Danny's thumb is stroking the side of her stomach as he plants a kiss in her hair.

"I'm going to get fat," C.J. realizes. There's something almost comical about that. She doesn't know why but it makes her laugh.

"You're not going to get fat just… bigger," Danny tries.

"Thank you, Daniel, that makes me feel much better." Danny laughs and hugs her a little tighter. C.J.'s arms wrap around his neck and she breathes in his smell.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah?"

"It'll be alright."

"It will be amazing," she decides. Because she knows it will be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the first chapter! Please feel free to review and comment. It's always appreciated.


	2. nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: mention of blood, gun violence and PTSD.

She's walking towards the car when she hears the gunshots. Someone pushes her to the ground, and she loses consciousness for a moment. When she wakes up, there's blood dripping from the side of her face and her necklace is missing. People are running around like crazy, but the shooting hasn't stopped. Josh catches her eye and mouths something but before she can make out what he's saying a bullet hits him in the stomach. C.J. wants to scream but no words come out. She stumbles towards him, falling over dead bodies on the ground. There's Leo, his eyes wide open but he's not breathing anymore. She sees Carol desperately trying to shake Margaret awake, the President lying face down in a pool of his own blood, but she has no time to stop. She has to get to Josh. She has to save him. She _has_ to. He has fallen to the ground when she reaches him.

" _Josh_ ," C.J. whispers. She kneels down next to him, trembling hands reaching out to cover his wound as she so desperately tries to stop the bleeding. "Josh," she says, louder this time. "Stay with me please. Josh, _please_." There's blood all over her hands. So much blood. It's everywhere. And C.J. can't seem to make it stop.

" _C.J..._." Josh's voice is barely more than a whisper.

"Don't talk," she tells him. "Help. _Someone help me_." But no help is coming. She knows it. No one will save them. " _Please_ ," she begs. "Please someone help me."

"C.J…. you have to go," Josh says, trying to shove her hands away.

" _No!_ " C.J. protests. "I'm not leaving you. Josh. Josh, don't go. _Please_." Her hands press down where the bullet hit him. "Josh, please. Don't go." His eyes start to close. "Josh. Stay with me. _Please, Josh_."

"C.J…. _go_." Then there's another gunshot. C.J. feels a striking pain in her stomach. Her hand reaches for her abdomen, but she knows what happened even before she feels the blood tickle down her shirt. _No_ , she thinks. _Please. No. Not now. Please. Not the baby_. But she knows it's too late. There's nothing she can do now. C.J. starts screaming as she falls over Josh's lifeless body. She couldn't save him. She couldn't save anyone. She just wanted to keep them safe. All of them. Leo, Josh, the President, her baby. She just wanted to protect them. Strong hands grip her by the shoulder and pull her back up. _Danny_ …

"C.J., what's wrong?" She reaches out a hand to touch his face. He can't be here. He's not supposed to be here.

"Danny, get out of here," she tells him or maybe she just thinks it.

"C.J., you're safe." _No_ , she thinks. _No, Danny. They took the baby._ "C.J., wake up." _Wake up?_ And then, she opens her eyes.

For a moment she doesn't know what's going on. There's Danny, his hair still messy, his eyes tired. And she's in her own bed where nobody is shooting at her. "Hey there…," Danny says softly, his hands still on her shoulders. He gently strokes her tearstained face as C.J. reaches out a hand and places it on his chest as if to see if he's real.

"I couldn't save them, Danny," she tells him quietly.

"Who?" he asks and pulls her closer so that she's resting against him chest.

"All of them. Josh, Leo, Margaret, the President. They all died." Danny doesn't say anything, he just holds her, slowly rocking her back and forth as if she were a child that needed soothing. "I was there but I couldn't save them."

"Where?" Danny wants to know.

"At Rosslyn. They took the baby, Danny." She knows it was just a dream, but it seemed so real she can't quite shake the memory of it yet.

"They didn't, C.J.. They didn't take the baby. Josh and the President… they made it, remember?" C.J. nods into his shirt. "And the baby wasn't even there. You're safe. Both of you." His voice calms her down but the image of Josh's lifeless body lying on the ground still haunts her.

"All I ever wanted to do was keep them safe. That was always my job. To protect them," C.J. tells him.

"I know. And you did." Danny places a kiss on the top of her head. "You did. They all made it." They are quiet for a while. C.J. presses her ear against Danny's chest, listening to his heartbeat, making sure he's still alive. He holds her tight and whispers soothing words into her hair as she calms down, the shock of the nightmare slowly wearing off. "You should get some more sleep," Danny tells her after what seems like hours. It was probably just a few minutes. "We have that doctor's appointment at ten." C.J. nods and untangles herself from his embrace. She slides down under the covers and turns her back towards him. Danny lays down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and burying his face in her neck. His hand rests on her abdomen even though she isn't showing yet. C.J. listens to his breathing and when she's almost certain he has fallen asleep she whispers; " _I love you_ " into the darkness.

Her eyes flutter open as she feels the mattress dip. Danny's hand travels up her leg, softly stroking her awake.

"Hey…," C.J. mumbles as she sits up.

"Hey," Danny echoes as he hands her a cup of what she can only assume is tea. Danny made a point of buying every single pregnancy book he could find at their local bookstore and read them all in what seemed like one night. Apparently, coffee isn't an option anymore.

"How long have you been up?" C.J. wants to know. Her tea is hot, so she blows on it before taking a sip.

"Not that long," Danny says casually. He never was a very good liar.

"You look tired," she observes, reaching for her glasses on the nightstand.

"I'm not." He looks at her, scanning her face the way he does when he thinks something is wrong.

"I'm fine, Danny." She tries to sound annoyed but really, she thinks it's sweet. He looks like he doesn't believe her. "I am. I promise. It was just a dream." C.J. looks at him over the edge of her cup. His hair looks even more red when the morning sun shines through the window forming something like a halo around him. Danny reaches out and squeezes her free hand, moving a little closer.

"You really are okay?" he asks.

"I'd tell you if I wasn't." Danny raises both his eyebrows in disbelief. C.J. smacks his shoulder.

"Hey! I would," she insists, although she probably wouldn't if she's being completely honest.

"If you say so." He smiles at her before he reaches to the floor and picks up a cup, taking a sip of something that smells just like coffee. C.J. can't help but envy him. "I made you breakfast."

"You didn't have to," C.J. assures him as she pushed her blanket aside. Danny reaches out a hand to help her stand. "Danny, I'm pregnant not dying. I don't need help standing up." She still takes his hand though and doesn't let go until they reach the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon reaches her nose and suddenly her stomach turns. C.J. makes a b line for the bathroom before Danny can even ask what's wrong and somehow manages to flip the toilet seat open before emptying last night's dinner into the bowl. She hears Danny enter and sit down next to her. One hand holds her hair back, the other strokes her back. After a few minutes there seems to be nothing left to throw up so C.J. sits back leaning against the wall. Danny reaches up and flushes the toilet before getting her a wet towel.

"Here you go." He hands it to C.J., sitting down next to her.

"Thanks," she mumbles as she wipes her face. "Sorry 'bout that."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Danny assures her, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "I'm guessing you're not really in the mood for eggs?"

"I wouldn't mind, actually." C.J. gets up and rests her hands on the sink. "Just give me a minute."

"Sure." Danny starts to walk out but turns around at the door. Their eyes meet in the mirror and C.J. smiles at him, almost shyly, before he leaves her alone.

Breakfast goes by quickly and C.J. manages to keep everything down before they leave for their doctor's appointment. They sit silently in the car, C.J. nervously biting her lip. At a stop sign, Danny reaches over and takes her hand, giving it a tiny squeeze. C.J. looks up from her lap and smiles at him, squeezing back.

"You'll be fine," Danny tells her before turning his attention back on the road. The car pulls up in front of the clinic sooner than C.J. had expected and before she knows it, she's sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair, waiting for the doctor to call her name. Danny is in the seat next to hers, looking calmer than he really is. C.J. isn't so great at disguising her nervousness. She bites her nails, although she cannot stand it when people do that, and bounces her knee up and down.

"Miss Cregg?" a nurse yells down the hall. C.J. practically jumps from her chair. Danny stands beside her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. They walk towards the door and everything seems to stop. C.J. can feel Danny's hand in hers, warm and familiar. She can feel the eyes of the other women resting on her, judging her, or so she thinks. She can smell the soap they used to wash the floor and the feel the hard linoleum floor underneath her feet. If she goes into the room now, it will be real. The doctor will tell her if her baby's healthy, if there's something wrong, that her age _is_ a factor, that she really having a baby. Danny squeezes her hand and C.J. snaps back into reality.

"Hey," Danny says gently.  
"

Hey," C.J. breathes.

"Don't worry." C.J. only nods, biting her lip. "I'm right there with you. Every step of the way." C.J. isn't a woman who's easily scared and as she walks over the threshold, with Danny right beside her, the fear seems to ebb away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked this chapter. Comments are always appreciated.


	3. peanut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: hints of a miscarriage

C.J.'s eyes flutter open as the sun shines through the drapes. It's Sunday so she has absolutely nowhere to be. She feels Danny's beard tickle her stomach and hears him whisper something. _What's he doing?_ C.J. thinks as she tries to make out what he's saying. _Why's he talking to- Ohhhh…_ A small smile creeps on her face as she lays still, and she listens to him.

"…And then I got her a goldfish," he whispers, his thumb tracing her waist. "Because how was I supposed to know that when Josh said she liked goldfish, he didn't mean the actual fish but the crackers?" C.J. bites her lip to keep from laughing. "She made fun of me for weeks for getting her that fish. Still does sometimes. But she loves her. The fish that is. She even managed to fly her all the way out here. Her name's Gail, by the way. I told Mommy the guy in the store named her but really it was me." There's a small pause, as Danny runs his fingers over her stomach, delicately drawing, what C.J. can only assume is a heart, with the tip of his finger. "Mommy and I got to see you for the first time yesterday. You're still so tiny. Like a peanut. Mommy pretended not to cry but I saw her wipe a few tears away when she thought I wasn't looking. I didn't tell her though." C.J. reaches out and hits his shoulder playfully. Danny lifts his head in confusion, smiling when he sees she's awake.

"I didn't cry," C.J. tells him matter-of-factly. She really had been crying, though. Danny sits up so he's next to her. "I did not cry," C.J. repeats.

"Sure," Danny says and kisses her. "Morning," he murmurs against her lips.

"Morning." After a small pause she adds; "I didn't cry." Danny rolls his eyes at her and takes her hand, tracing the inside of her palm with his finger. "Maybe a little," she mumbles, mostly to herself. "What were you doing down there?" she asks, gently touching his shoulder. Danny blushes and looks down, avoiding her eyes. C.J. pokes him, a smile spreading across her face. "What were you doing?" she laughs.

"Nothing," Danny mumbles.

" _Danny_." She stretches the word.

"I was just… talking to the baby." Danny's face has turned crimson and C.J. can't help but grin from ear to ear.

" _That_ is so sweet," she says and pulls him a little closer. Danny kisses C.J. again, longer this time, before scooting down towards her stomach. His beard tickles her bare skin as he places a gentle kiss on her tiny bump.

"Hi, Peanut," he whispers, smiling against her stomach.

"Peanut?" C.J. repeats.

"Yeah." A smile spreads across Danny's face as he smiles up at her, propping himself up on his elbow. There's so much love, so much kindness, in his eyes that C.J. can't stop herself from tearing up. Danny's brows furrow and he looks at her, worried. C.J. quickly shakes her head, assuring him that she's alright.

"I'm fine," she sniffs, hurriedly wiping the few tears that managed to make their way down her cheeks. "These are happy tears." Danny takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. "It's just the hormones," C.J. laughs, her voice all high and squeaky. Danny chuckles and turns to the baby.

"Did you hear that?" he asks, stroking her stomach. "Mommy's crying because of _hormones_." C.J. smacks him over the head but there's a smile playing on her lips.

"Ouch!" Danny exclaims.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" C.J. raises both her eyebrows, unimpressed.

"Yeah!"

"Good." Danny rolls his eyes at her. "Did you hear that, Peanut? Your mother's violent. She hits me." C.J. reaches out her hand and runs her fingers through his hair. It's soft, like cotton, and she could spend all day messing with it if he'd let her. "But she secretly loves me," Danny goes on. "I think she loves you more, though."

"True," C.J. cuts in.

"See?" Danny kisses her stomach again before climbing up to sit next to her.

"I do like you just a tiny bit," C.J. tells him.

"Yeah?" Danny moves a little closer. His hand is on her waist and even though she's been with him for almost two years now, she still gets butterflies every time he touches her. The good kind. The kind that make her breath catch in her throat and her cheeks flush.

"Just a bit." C.J. shrugs and kisses Danny's nose. "I need to pee," she whispers and gets out of bed. She can feel Danny watching her as she walks to the bathroom.

"So, I was thinking," Danny yells through the closed door. "That we could take a walk today."

"Along the beach?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." C.J. exits the bathroom and returns to her spot next to him on the mattress. Danny wraps his arms around her as she places her head on his chest. Her safe place. She remembers the morning after she came to Danny's apartment for the first time. She had fallen asleep with her back turned towards him but woken up with her face safely buried in his neck, his arms wrapped around her. Danny kisses the top of her head.

"No morning sickness?" he asks.

"Oh no, I was already up visiting my old friend the toilet bowl," C.J. informs him.

"How did I not wake up?" Danny pulls her a little closer, stroking her side with his thumb.

"I've become very skilled at vomiting quietly."

"That's not a real thing," Danny laughs.

"Oh, but it is. I'm terribly good at it." Danny kisses the top of her head once more before moving to get up. C.J. lazily drapes her arms around his waist, trying to stop him from leaving.

"Don't _goooo_ ," she complains, her face buried in Danny's side of the mattress.

"I'll make breakfast," Danny tells her and plants a kiss her forehead before leaving the room. C.J. drags herself out of bed and follows him reluctantly. As Danny stands at the counter, C.J. walks up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist, burying her face in his neck. Danny can't help but laugh.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Hormones," she mumbles. Her excuse for everything these days. "Plus, you're like my personal pillow."

"Well, your personal pillow would like a bit of space to make breakfast." Danny turns around in her arms and kisses her quickly before leading her back to the table and making her sit down.

"Coffee?" C.J. asks hopefully.

"No chance." C.J. groans and puts her head on the table.

"Oh, wait. Do you hear that?"

"What?" Danny doesn't turn around as he puts the eggs in the skillet.

"Yes, that's definitely the baby telling me that it doesn't mind if I have a cup of coffee in the morning."

"Not happening." Danny scratches her scrambled eggs onto a plate and places it in front of C.J.. She mumbles something that could be mistaken for a _thank you_ and digs into her breakfast.

C.J. knows he's watching her as she dips her toes into the cold water. She smiles over her shoulder and the wind blows her hair in her face. Danny laughs, his hands in his pocket. It's in moments like these, when he's standing there like that, with his scruffy face and kind eyes, that C.J. can't quite believe all of this is actually happening. She remembers the first time they met, when she clumsily fell into his lap on the campaign bus and proceeded to ignore him for the following week out of embarrassment. She thinks about when he got her Gail and about their stolen kisses in her office when they thought no one was around. Back then, she didn't even dare to dream of a future like this. C.J. walks back to him and slips her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"What're you smiling about?" Danny asks and kisses her temple.

"You," C.J. laughs and tugs his arm. They walk in silence for a while. C.J. listens carefully to the sound of the waves, enjoying the quietness she has only just gotten used to.

"C.J.?" Danny says then. His voice his soft but C.J. can detect a hint of something else in there. She turns to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"What?" she laughs.

"I know we didn't plan for this," Danny goes on as they keep walking. "I know what the doctor said yesterday wasn't the greatest news in the world." He gives her hand a tiny squeeze as C.J. blinks a few tears away. "I know you want to protect the baby. And I know you're scared. I don't ever want you to be scared. Okay?" C.J. nods and her vision becomes blurry as tears make their way down her cheeks. "I've got you." Danny pulls C.J. into a giant hug, letting her bury her face in his shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Both of you. It'll be alright," he whispers into her hair. C.J. closes her eyes, wanting nothing more than to believe him. She thinks of the little baby they saw on the monitor yesterday, thinks of how tiny and helpless it looked, of how much she wants to spend the rest of her life protecting that child. She thinks of what the doctor told her, about her blood pressure being too high and the baby's heartbeat being too weak.

"I hope it's not scared," she whispers. She can feel Danny smile against her temple.

"What?" He pulls away to look at her and wipes a few tears from her cheeks.

"The baby," C.J. says. "I hope it's not scared." Danny kisses her nose as if that will make everything better. It kind of does. "I would be scared," C.J. goes on. "It's all alone in there."

"I'm sure it's not," Danny assures her. They start walking again and C.J. holds on to his arm a little tighter than before.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're it's mother. And one thing I know for sure is that C.J. Cregg doesn't scare easily." She swats his arm with the back of her hand.

"Not true."

"Very true," Danny insists as he plants a piss on her temple.

"Okay, a bit true."

"I know you're trying to be strong," Danny tells her as she bends down to pick up a seashell. It's white with two small black dots on either side. "I know you pretend like everything's fine. You don't have to pretend with me, C.J.." She slips the seashell into Danny's pocket.

"I know." They're silent again. The normally so articulate C.J. Cregg has suddenly lost the ability to speak. But that's okay. Danny can talk enough for both of them.

"Whatever you need, let me know. I'm here. I'm your guy."

"I know," she repeats. It seems to be the only thing she can bring herself to say. There's a knot in her throat and tears threaten make their way down her cheeks. She swallows, hard, and turns to look at Danny. "I'm scared," she tells him, her voice tiny and fragile. It's the first time she's really admitted that, even to herself. "I'm scared and I don't know what to do and I don't like not knowing – you know how I hate that – and I just want to keep the baby safe but I don't know _how_ and it's scaring the _shit_ out of me, Danny, it really is-"

"C.J., _breathe_ ," Danny reminds her as he gently squeezes her shoulders.

"Right." They stand like that for a while. "I'm scared. I'm really scared." It takes everything she has to admit that to him. Even after all these years, she still has this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he might leave her if she shows him too many weaknesses. She knows he won't, he's promised he won't, but she can't help it. "I'm scared I'll do something wrong. I'm scared I'll hurt the baby. I don't know how to be a mother, Danny. I don't know how to do any of that stuff. I don't know how to change a diaper or make a bottle or stop children from crying. I'm gonna fuck it up, Danny."

"You won't," he assures her and a tiny part of her believes him. The part that knows he's always right about these things, the part that knows she's being to critical with herself. The other part, however...

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you." Danny pokes her nose to make her laugh. It helps. "And won't fuck it up. I promise. You'll be great."

"I'm scared," she says again.

"You can be scared," Danny assures her. "It's okay to be scared. But you don't have to be. I've got you."

"I know," she tells him. And she does. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit sad but I hope you still liked it. Reviews are of course always appreciated.


	4. taking it easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild trigger warning: mention of blood

"Honey, I'm home," C.J. yells in her best British accent as she steps through the door. Danny is sitting in the living room, his laptop in front of him, typing furiously.

"Hey," he says without looking up.

"How was your day?" C.J. asks as she throws her purse on the floor and walks into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Danny doesn't reply. "Danny?"

"Hold on." He's still typing, not even offering her as much as a smile.

"I had an interesting chat with Donna today. Well, maybe not interesting. That might not be the right word. It was-"

"Hold on," Danny says again, his eyes fixed on his screen. C.J. waits for a second, sipping her water before she speaks again, impatient as ever.

"And then _your_ child decided during a meeting with very important people would be a good time to make me throw up." Still, no response. "So, anyways I thought to myself, why not take off all my clothes and have sex with Charlie on my desk?" Danny's head snaps up.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah?" He gestures towards his computer screen. "You were trying to finish a thought, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"And I distracted you."

"Kinda."

"And now you probably want me to shut up so you can get back to your writing," she says, feeling only a little bad. Danny shakes his head and closes his laptop.

"Nah, I lost my train of thought the moment you came through that door," he tells her and pats the spot next to him on the sofa. "C'mere." C.J. smiles, very pleased with herself, as she sits down. She reaches out and runs her fingers through Danny's hair as he pulls her closer, his lips gently meeting hers.

"Hi," she whispers.

"Hi." They sit quietly for a while and C.J. just looks at him. He's grown his beard back – C.J. likes it better that way – and his hair has just been cut.

"So, you had sex with Charlie on your desk?" Danny says, smiling.

" _Daniel!_ Way to ruin a moment." C.J. slaps his shoulder as she turns away, shaking her head.

"You were the one who brought it up!" Danny insists.

"Because I thought you weren't listening." C.J. gives him a capital l Look.

"Well, I was." She leans back again, smiling at the ceiling.

"Yeah. Anyways, Charlie knows his way around. You should ask him for tips at some point," C.J. tells him matter-of-factly.

"I think I'm doing alright," Danny says and places a hand on her stomach.

"Ehh… Could still use some help though."

"And I'm sure Charlie is _thrilled_ we're having this conversation," Danny laughs.

"Yes, I'll make sure to mention it to him tomorrow." C.J. turns her head to look at him.

"You're ridiculous," he tells her as he plants another kiss on her lips.

"Yeah, but you like that about me." Danny considers this for a moment.

"I guess," he tells her, not particularly impressed. "How's Peanut?" he asks then, turning his attention to her stomach.

"Peanut's good," C.J. says, as Danny circles her belly button.

"And how's Mommy?" Danny wants to know. Her breath gets caught in her throat when he calls her that, still not quite used to it.

"Mommy's alright," she assured him. "Although I did have to rush out of a meeting with Anna Hart and Mary Morgan to watch my lunch reappear." Danny squeezes her hand.

"Who are Anna Hart and Mary Morgan?"

"Very important people who want to give me lots of money to go save the world," C.J. tells him as she runs her fingers through his hair. She silently prays the kid will get his red locks, something she would never tell Danny because she doesn't want to deal with the smug, self-satisfied look he would give her.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah?" He looks concerned, worried even, and pulls her a little closer.

"You're home late." C.J. looks at the clock on the wall.

"It's only six."

"We said four," Danny reminds her. He's not angry, he almost never is. He's just looking out for her.

"Danny…"

"C.J., I'm serious," he presses on.

"Danny, I'm fine."

"You look tired." C.J. knows she does. She's seen the circles under her eyes, has even tried to cover them up in the hopes that Danny wouldn't notice.

"Yeah well, you'd be pretty tired too if you had a one hour meeting turn into a three hour one and then had to spend forty minutes on the phone with a woman who only spoke French and seemed to be making the call from somewhere in the outskirts of God-Knows-Where, judging by the poor connection."

"I'm not kidding around, C.J.," Danny says.

" _Danny!_ " C.J. protests and stands up.

"You said you'd take it easy."

" _I am!_ "

"You left at seven this morning," Danny insists as C.J. starts pacing the room. She knows he's right, knows she promised to slow down, yet she can't bring herself to admit it.

"I had a call from Germany."

"And yesterday?"

"Jesus, Danny, I can't just drop everything and leave."

"I'm not asking you to." Danny is on his feet as well. "I'm just asking you to take it easy."

"I am. I will. I'm trying."

"Okay," Danny says softly, taking a step towards her. "I know you are."

"I just – I don't like it when you treat me like I'm made of glass," C.J. says and sits down again, running her fingers through her hair. She's way too tired to be having this argument right now.

"I wasn't trying – I'm sorry." Danny moves to sit next to her taking her hand. "You're the strongest person I know. And you're certainly not made of glass." He kisses her temple gently as C.J. leans into him, her eyes closed. "I just – I guess I'm just worried about you." C.J. looks up at him, her fingers playing with button of his shirt.

"You don't have to be," she assures him. "I'm worried enough for both of us." C.J.'s only half kidding when she says this. Most of the time in her office is spent thinking about whether or not she's on her feet too much or if her baby is even still alive. Wondering if she's going to feel the thick, hot blood, that can only mean one thing, tickle down her thighs. Danny pulls her a little closer, putting a comforting hand on her stomach. "I just want to keep him safe."

"Him?" Danny raises his eyebrows. C.J. can't really blame him. She's changed her mind about this at least seven times in the last three days.

"I've got a feeling."

"A feeling, huh?" C.J. nods and kisses Danny, her hand traveling up to his neck. He pulls away way too quickly for C.J.'s taste. "So, listen… I was thinking. And I mean we don't have to – it's completely up to you. I mean, you can say no. I just thought since we're having a kid – and again, no pressure to say yes-"

"Danny, spit it out before you choke on it," C.J. laughs and Danny's cheeks turn crimson.

"Well… I was just thinking that there isn't really enough space here for a baby," Danny says, his thumb stroking her side, not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah?" C.J. asks, encouraging him to go on.

"So… what if we… got a house or something?" C.J. can't keep the giant smile from spreading on her face.

"A house of something?" she echoes, grinning from ear to ear.

"We don't have to. It was just an idea. You can say no."

"Why would I say no, you idiot?"

"I don't know. I thought you might think it's a bit too quick. I don't want to rush you," Danny says, finally meeting her eyes. C.J. can't get over how cute his face gets when he's not quite sure about something. His cheeks turn pink and he starts to trip over his own words.

"Danny, we're having a baby, it doesn't get scarier than that," C.J. laughs as she pulls Danny into a hug. Her chin rests on his shoulder as he wraps his arms around her waist. They're quiet for a moment before C.J. pulls away, planting a small kiss on Danny's cheek.

"So this is not too quick for you?" Danny asks, always making sure she's totally onboard.

"Well our kid can hardly sleep in the study now, can he?"

"I suppose not," Danny says, smiling.

"Sam probably knows some people out here who could help us find something."

"We could always try giving him a call." C.J. moves closer to Danny, their lips almost touching.

"I'll make sure to do that," she whispers before finally closing the space between them. Danny's hands are on her neck almost immediately, warm against her cold skin. C.J. let's her own hands ghost over his shoulders, her fingers wanting to explore every inch of him. She sighs as Danny moves his lips to her jaw, kissing his way down to her neck. Just as C.J. reaches for his shirt, her phone starts ringing.

"Don't answer that," Danny tells her and C.J. tries to ignore it but the phone just keeps going. "Ignore it," Danny tries again but C.J. wriggles out from underneath him and walks over to the table, fishing the offending item out of her bag. "Hang up." C.J. ignores him and flicks open her phone.

"Hello, ma'am."

"Is this C.J.?" Abbey says on the other side of the line.

"Who is it?" Danny asks and stands up from the couch.

"Yes, this is C.J.," she tells Abbey, wondering who the former first lady thought would pick up when she called C.J.'s phone.

"Who is it?" Danny tries again. C.J. waves her hand, dismissing him.

"How are you, C.J.? How's California?"

"I'm good, thank you. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I've been going through old pictures from the campaign. I found some of you and Danny. I'll send them to you," Abbey tells her.

"C.J.?" Danny walks up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. C.J. slaps his hand away. "C.J.?"

"Shush – No, sorry, not you, Abbey. Danny's being just an idiot."

"How _is_ my favourite reporter?" Abbey asks.

"Yeah, he's alright. How's-"

"Hold on, I'll give Jed the phone."

"Oh no, you don't have to-"

"Claudia Jean!" Jed Bartlet practically yells through the phone. C.J. wonders if he knows he doesn't actually have to scream all the way from New Hampshire to California in order for her to hear him.

"Say hi from me," Danny tells C.J. as he opens the fridge.

"Hello, sir. How are you?" C.J. laughs, ignoring Danny.

"Call me Jed, C.J.," the former president insists for probably the hundredth time since he left office.

"No, sir, I don't think I can do that."

"I'll keep on trying to persuade you."

"How are you, sir?" C.J. asks again as Danny hands her a glass of water.

"I'm doing perfectly fine, Claudia Jean and I do not appreciate the worrying tone in your voice. I called to talk about _you_."

"I'm alright, sir," C.J. says and takes a sip of water.

"And Danny?"

"Keeping me out of trouble," she informs him.

"As I suspected. Is he writing?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. Sometimes I wake up at night and he's still typing away on that laptop of his." She can hear Jed laugh on the other end.

"Ey! Are you guys talking about me?" Danny asks and kisses C.J. cheek as he walks past her. C.J. ignores him, rolling her eyes.

"How's your work, C.J.? I hear you're saving the world one highway at the time." Even though he isn't actually in the room, C.J. can feel herself blush.

"I like to think so, sir."

"I'm assuming Danny's taking good care of you. Attending to your every need and all that."

"Jed, leave the poor girl alone and get to the point," C.J. hears Abbey yell in the background. She can't help but smile.

"Yes, C.J.. Are you and Danny free next weekend?"

"Yes, sir, I believe so," C.J. tells him and presses the phone between her shoulder and cheek as she searches around in her bag for her planner.

"Abbey and I are flying out to see and old friend of ours and we were wondering if the two of you would like to have dinner with us?" For some reason, C.J. can't stop herself from getting a little teary eyed. Danny hands her a tissue, which she gladly accepts.

" _Hormones_ ," she mouths before answering the question. "Yes, of course we'd like to, sir. You're more than welcome to come for dinner at our place, if you'd like."

"No, please. We don't want to trouble you."

"It wouldn't be any trouble, sir," C.J. assures him. "And don't worry, I wouldn't have anything to do with the cooking. That would be all Danny."

"No, really, C.J.. Abbey and I would like to take you both out," Jed presses on.

"Alright, sir. If you insist."

"I do! And you really can't refuse me. I still am _Mr. President_ ," he reminds her.

"Yes, sir," C.J. says, a smile on her face.

"Alright, Claudia Jean. It was lovely talking to you. I'll have Abbey send you some more details. I am very much looking forward to seeing you again."

"Me too, sir," C.J. assures him.

"Tell her to say hi to Danny from us," Abbey yells.

"Abbey wants me to tell you to say hi to Danny from us," Jed repeats.

"I heard, sir. I will. He says hello back, by the way."

"Great. We'll see you then."

"See you then, sir," C.J. says, resisting the urge to end this call with a _Thank you, Mr. President_.

"Oh, and C.J.?"

"Yes, sir?"

"If you call me _sir_ one more time, I'm afraid I'll have to send the Secret Service on you."

"I'll try my best not to then."

"That's the spirit! Goodbye, C.J.."

"Goodbye, sir." She quickly hangs up the phone before he can scold her for calling him sir. Danny walks up behind her, his arms wrapping around C.J.'s waist.

"What was that all about?" he asks, his lips on her shoulder.

"We're having dinner with them next week," C.J. tells him as she puts her phone on the table. Danny spins her around in his arms and her hands quickly find their spot on his shoulders. He leans in so close his face almost gets blurry.

"Now, where were we?" he whispers. C.J. toys with the button of his shirt.

"I believe I was about to take this off." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments or reviews are appreciated as always. I'll hopefully be back with another chapter in the next few days!


	5. the list

" _No_ ," C.J. insists as she fumbles with her earring.

"Why not?" Danny looks at her from across the room. Of course, he's already dressed, standing in the doorway. Waiting for her.

"It's not a good name," C.J. tells him and picks up the other earring from her nightstand.

"What's wrong with Violet?" Danny raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are we _having_ an eighty-year-old?" C.J. gets up from the bed and makes her way to the bathroom.

"What're you doing now?" Danny asks as he watches her disappear.

"Fixing my makeup," C.J. yells through the open door. She hears Danny groan and make his way over to their bed. C.J. watches him through the mirror as he sits down and adjusts his tie.

"Your makeup looks good to me," Danny says. She can see him watching her in the reflection. C.J. turns around, her lipstick hovering over her lip.

" _Danny_ ," she begins, "I'm a fourty four-year-old _pregnant_ woman. Believe me. I need this." Danny shrugs, like he doesn't want to argue, like he knows she'd win anyways. C.J. turns back around and paints her lips red.

"So, that's a no?" Danny asks.

"Huh?" C.J. reaches for her eyelash curler.

"Violet. It's a no?"

"Definitely."

"Fine." Neither of them say anything as C.J. applies her mascara. "What about Daniella?" C.J. turns around and leans against the sink. She tilts her head a bit as she frowns at Danny.

"Don't you think that's just a tiny bit narcissistic?"

"How?" Danny laughs. C.J. shoots him a look. "Ohh. Danny. Daniella. I get it."

"Yeah." C.J. pushes herself away from the sink and sits down next to Danny. He smells nice. Like peppermint and lemon. Like home. "What about James?"

"James?"

"Mhm. Do you like it? I thought - can you give me those?" She points to her shoes on the floor. Danny hands them to her. "I thought we could put it on the list." C.J. struggles a bit to get into her shoe but eventually she manages.

"Yeah. I don't mind it," Danny says, smiling at her.

"Really?" C.J. looks almost shocked.

"What?" C.J. stands up and starts walking out of the room.

"You've vetoed every single name I've come up with since we found out about this." She points at her stomach. You can only detect the smallest dump underneath her dress.

"That's not true," Danny insists and follows her into the living room. "There was…" He looks around as if the name is written somewhere on their furniture.

"Yes?" C.J. asks, both hands on her hips.

"Well… there was… that one name. That you suggested. That I liked. You know? The- the name. It was good."

"Aha." C.J. doesn't really sound convinced.

"It was uhm… something that started with… A?"

"It was Emily," C.J. almost yells as she searches for her coat.

"Right. Yeah. That was the name. I like that."

"Yeah, I don't want it anymore." She puts her phone in her purse and walks over to the coat rack by the door.

"You don't?" Danny asks and walks over to help her into her jacket.

"No." She smiles at him over her shoulder and you could almost forget they were fighting just a few seconds ago. "Thanks." Danny opens the door for her to step outside. He grabs the keys and they leave the apartment. "So you really like James?" she asks as they descend the stairs.

"Yeah," Danny assures her, his hand on the small of her back. "But wait a minute. Didn't you say it was a girl?" C.J. rolls her eyes at him.

"Yeah but how am I supposed to know that? Do I look like a psychic to you?"

"Well… no," Danny says as they leave the apartment building. "But you said you had some kind _motherly instinct_ or something. I didn't quite understand. You were rambling a lot. It was late. You weren't making much sense."

"Why, thank you, Daniel." C.J. walks a little faster and Danny has to speed up to keep up with her.

"So we're looking at boys' names again now?"

"Yup," C.J. says coldly. She isn't mad. Not really. She just likes to annoy him.

"What about Phillip?"

"No," C.J. tells Danny without looking at him.

"Norman?" C.J. stops dead in her tracks, making Danny almost run straight into her. He manages to move out of the way just in time.

"Do you _want_ our kid to get bullied?"

"What's wrong with Norman?" Danny wants to know as he runs his hand through his hair.

"Everything," C.J. says simply before walking further down the street.

"You come up with something then!" C.J. sighs and looks up at the sky as if to ask the Lord Above for help with the impossible case that is her boyfriend.

"Oh, I don't know. Mark."

"Nah. I had a boss named Mark. He used to touch his secretaries inappropriately during lunch."

"Not Mark then," C.J. agrees. "Ross?" she suggests.

"Like that sitcom character?"

"Not necessarily."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure." Danny puts his hands in his pockets as he walks beside her.

"Fine. It doesn't go on the list." C.J. looks slightly disappointed. "Let's go back to girls' names. We were better at that."

"Not really but…"

" _Danny_!" C.J. complains. "A little optimism would really kill you?"

"No. You're right. Sorry. Girls' names." She thinks for a moment.

"Anna?"

"Too simple," Danny says and C.J. must admit - much against her own will - that he's right.

"Chloe?" C.J. suggests as they stop at a crossroad.

"Chloe Cregg-Concannon? That's quite a mouthful, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that might be a bit much." Danny gently touches her elbow as they cross the street. She doesn't mind. Although right now she finds him just a tad annoying.

"Oh, I know something!" Danny says excitedly. C.J. raises her eyebrows at him.

"Last time you said that, you suggested we name our child Elvis," C.J. reminds him.

"It was late. I was tired. Doesn't count."

"If you say so." C.J. smiles at him. "Go ahead." Danny pauses, for dramatic effect, C.J. assumes.

"Gail." The smile fades from C.J.'s face.

"Seriously? _Gail_?"

"What?" Danny is visibly confused.

"We are not - and I cannot stress this enough - naming our _child_ after a fish," C.J. tells Danny firmly.

"But it's a good name. It has meaning. It's _Gail_!"

"Danny, _no_." Her tone of voice indicates that there's not going to be a discussion. That he's not supposed to try and convince her. C.J. can see the annoyance in his face. He lets go of her arm. The restaurant is across the street so C.J. stops, determined to end this argument now, before meeting the Bartlets.

"Well, C.J., I don't know what to tell ya'. We've been arguing about this for weeks and we haven't been able to agree on _one_ name yet," Danny says. He doesn't raise his voice at her though. He wouldn't do that.

"Actually, that's not true. There was one-"

"Oh, for god's sake, C.J. you know what I mean," he interrupts her.

"Well, Danny, I'm sorry but you just pick shitty names."

"I don't!" Danny protests. They are standing in the middle of the street now, not caring that people are watching.

"Yes, you do. First it's Elvis then it's after a fish. What's next? Maybe we should name our kid after the cat my neighbors had when I was five. How about that?"

"God, you're so-" He doesn't finish the sentence. He stares at her before running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Are you raising your voice at a pregnant woman?" C.J. folds her arms in front of her chest, defensively.

"No. _No_ , I'm not," Danny tells her as calmly as he can. "You're just so- You don't like any of the names I suggest-"

"With good reason!" C.J. interrupts.

"- and if you do like one," Danny continues as if he didn't hear her, "you change your mind two days later and we have to start all over again. Can't you just pick one? Honestly, it's not that hard. Or maybe we should just leave it for a while. Wait until the kid is old enough to tell us herself what she wants to be called. But this- this is just- _what_?" A huge smile decorates C.J.'s face. She can't help herself. It's just like when they were back in the White House. The arguing, the bickering, the yelling in front of other people. "What?" Danny repeats.

"You wanna kiss me so bad right now," C.J. states, still smiling.

"I- Well. Yes." He's blushing now and looks at her almost shyly. C.J. rolls her eyes. She takes a step towards him and reaches for his hand. Danny takes hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. "Sorry about that," he says, referring to his little outburst.

"It's fine. Kinda hot, actually," C.J. whispers as she plays with his tie. Danny raises his eyebrows at her and C.J. shrugs, making her way across the street. His hand feels nice in hers, soft and familiar. She doesn't want to let go. Not for a very long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this. I'll be back with a real chapter where something actually happens soon. Reviews are as always appreciated :)


	6. abbey knows

There are Secret Service agents outside the restaurant and when they step inside, the place is completely empty except for the former president and first lady in the back of the room. Danny's hand rests on the small of her back as they make their way towards the other couple. Abbey practically jumps out of her seat when she sees them. Jed stands in a more civilized manner.

"C.J.!" Abbey yells and pulls her into a hug. C.J. let's Abbey hold her for a little longer than usual, needing the familiar comfort it brings her. "How are you?" Abbey asks as C.J. pulls away.

"I'm good, thank you. How are you?"

"Very well." Abbey eyes C.J. and gives her hand a gentle squeeze before moving on to Danny.

"Claudia Jean," Jed Bartlet says as he approaches, his arms stretched out towards her.

"Sir." She takes both his hands and leans down to kiss his cheek.

"C.J., how many times have I told you-"

"I think you'll simply have to live with it, _sir_ ," C.J. insists, a smile playing on her lips. All four of them sit down at the table.

"How was your flight?" C.J. asks, reaching for the menu.

"It was very pleasant. But we did not invite you here to talk about our flight," Jed says. "How are you? What's new?" C.J. draws in a sharp breath, hoping no one noticed. Danny nudges her knee with his own underneath the table. He noticed. He notices everything these days.

"Oh, not much," C.J. lies. "Danny's working on something, but he won't even tell me what it is, so I doubt you'll get much out of him."

"I don't know about that, I am the former President of the United States after all," Jed chuckles and everyone knows he's only half kidding. Danny laughs but doesn't say anything. A waiter comes over and pours everyone a glass of champaign but when he reaches C.J., she kindly shakes her head no. She can feel Abbey watching her from the other end of the table.

"No champaign, C.J.?" she asks and C.J. thinks she can detect just the tiniest smile on Abbey's face.

"No, thank you. I have a bit of a headache," C.J. tells her. Another lie. And Abbey knows it. C.J. can see it in her eyes. But she doesn't say anything and C.J. is grateful for it. She isn't ready yet.

"A headache, huh? I thought those go away when you leave the White House," Jed says and C.J. laughs awkwardly as she sips her water.

Over dinner, they chat about old times and Ellie's newborn son and Jed proudly shows them the pictures he keeps in his wallet. Abbey swats his arm when he goes on about how little Noah will be a great economist one day "just like his grandfather" and C.J. laughs out loud. She can feel Danny watching her, can feel Abbey watching her and even Jed seems to be eyeing her carefully and suddenly, she can't stand it anymore.

"What I said before was a lie," she blurts out. Everyone turns towards her.

"Sorry?" Jed asked, slightly amused by her small outburst.

"About not having any news. That was a lie," C.J. explains. Danny reaches over and takes her hand underneath the table. Abbey puts her knife and fork down and looks at C.J. with so much kindness in her eyes, it almost makes her cry. C.J. clears her throat before speaking again. "Danny and I- well... We have something to tell you. And I didn't want to do it over the phone- that didn't seem quite right." She's shaking a bit, grateful for Danny's hand in hers.

"C.J., are you sick?" Jed asks, concern visible on his face.

"No, no, I'm not sick," C.J. assures him.

"Because if you were-"

"No, really. I'm alright." C.J. offers him a reassuring smile. "It's not serious. Or- well… I guess it is. But not bad serious. Good serious." C.J. takes a deep breath, willing herself to look at up and meet Abbey's eyes. She doesn't know why this is so hard for her. "I'm pregnant." It comes out more as a whisper but the giant smile on Abbey's face proves that she was perfectly able to hear what C.J. said.

"You're pregnant?" Jed repeats. C.J. nods, almost shyly, as Danny squeezes her hand. "That's wonderful!" Jed jumps from his chair and rushes over to kiss C.J. on the cheek. "Congratulations," he tells her, and she can't stop a single tear from escaping. Jed wipes it away and takes both her hands in his. "Whatever you need, C.J.. Just call. We'll fly in on a helicopter if need be." C.J. nods, unable to speak at the moment. Abbey is out of her chair as well, congratulating Danny but when Jed steps aside she practically throws her arms around C.J..

"Congratulations, my dear," she says and puts her hands on C.J. shoulders. "How are you feeling?" Before C.J. can even respond, Abbey has already moved on to the next question. "Are you getting enough sleep? How's the morning sickness? You're not working too hard, are you?" At this, Danny shoots C.J. a knowing look and C.J. rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm alright. I'm getting more sleep than I used to. The morning sickness is alright and I'm trying not to work too hard. Although if you ask Danny, he'll tell you that's not true," C.J. says as everyone returns to their seats.

"Danny, is she working too hard?" Jed asks, shooting C.J. a look. "Because that's my grandchild in there and will not have anything happen to it." C.J.'s breath catches in her throat and tears well in her eyes. Danny laces his fingers through hers as he speaks.

"I think she deserves a bit of a break, but you know C.J…." Jed chuckles as C.J. side eyes Danny.

"How far along are you?" Abbey asks as the waiter takes away their plates.

"Not quite three months. We're not really telling people yet."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Abbey assures her.

"Yeah." C.J. takes a deep breath, looking down at her hands.

"C.J.?" Abbey says. She looks up. "It will be."

"If there's one thing I've learned through the many, _many_ years I've been married to this woman, it's that she's always right," Jed says. "There's no point in arguing with her." C.J. smiles and absentmindedly places her free hand on her stomach. "One more thing, C.J.," he adds, giving her a stern look. "We really can't have you calling this child's grandfather 'sir', can we?" C.J. lets out a laugh and shakes her head.

"Jed, leave the poor girl alone," Abbey tells him, giving his arm a playful swat.

"No, really, C.J., I can't stand you calling me 'sir' all the time. It makes me feel so old."

"You are old," Abbey reminds him.

"I am not!" Jed insists.

"I'll think about it, sir," C.J. says. She really doesn't think she'll ever be able to bring herself to call him Jed.

"And you too, Danny. You're family. All three of you." Danny smiles.

"Thank you, sir. But I do think that would take some getting used to."

"As long as you've stopped once the baby arrives, it's all good."

"I think we can work on that," C.J. says before standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." Both Danny and Jed rise when she leaves the table and sit down again when she's out of sight.

"Danny," Jed begins.

"Yes, sir?"

"How is she really?"

"She's alright," Danny assures him. "She's tired but she's alright. The morning sickness is worse than she likes to admit."

"How's the baby? Is everything alright?" Abbey asks. Danny takes a deep breath.

"The baby's okay. They said the heartbeat isn't as strong as they'd like but we shouldn't worry right now," he tells her. "And C.J.'s blood pressure is a little high."

"Oh, Danny, I'm sure it'll be okay." Abbey smiles kindly.

"Yeah." Danny pauses for a moment before continuing. "Listen, I have something I would like to ask you."

"Be my guest," Jed says. Danny looks over his shoulder to make sure C.J. isn't right behind him.

"I want to ask C.J. to marry me." Abbey lets out a delighted gasp. Jed isn't so sure yet.

"That's great, Danny," Abbey says.

"Do you love her?" Jed asks then. Abbey shoots him a look Danny is glad not be on the receiving end of.

"Yes, sir. Very much," Danny says.

"Are you ever going to leave her?"

"No, sir."

" _Jed!_ " Abbey shouts but the former president ignores her.

"Are you going to break her heart?"

"No, sir." Danny knows how much C.J. means to him, knows he isn't joking about this.

"Because that's my daughter and if you ever hurt her, I _will_ send my agents after you."

"I understand," Danny says. "I love her very much. And I would never do anything to hurt her."

"We know, Danny," Abbey assures him, glaring at her husband.

"I guess I just wanted to know if I had your blessing," Danny mumbles. "I know how much you mean to her."

"Of course, you have our blessing," Abbey laughs.

"Well…," Jed says.

" _Jed!_ " Abbey hits his arm.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Of course, you can ask C.J. to marry you." Danny feels relieved, not that he had expected anything else, but it feels good to know that he really does have their blessing. Danny hears the clicking of her heels behind him and both him and Jed stand up again as she approaches.

"You really don't have to keep doing that," C.J. says and sits down. The two men do the same.

"It's polite," Jed reminds her.

"So, what did I miss? Were you guys talking about me?"

"You're hardly that interesting," Danny jokes which earns him a slap on the back of his head from C.J..

"I think we've all been sitting down for too long," Jed declares and stands up. "I think it's time to dance."

"Dance?" C.J. asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, Claudia Jean. Dance. You know the thing you do at parties or in ballrooms. It usually involves two people-"

"I'm familiar with the concept," C.J. interrupts. Jed holds out his hand to her and C.J. takes it without hesitation. "Danny, you go dance with Abbey. But watch where you put your hands." Both C.J. and Abbey roll their eyes and Danny turns crimson. Music starts playing and Jed leads her onto the small dancefloor.

"Got any names yet?" Jed asks as they sway to the music.

"Sorry, sir?"

"For the baby."

"Oh, no, not yet. We can't seem to agree on one," C.J. laughs, glancing over at Danny. He catches her eye and offers her a kind smile.

"You've still got plenty of time," Jed assures her. "Abbey and I could never agree on the names. In the end, you're the one doing all the hard work. He'll let you choose."

"He better!"

"C.J., I hope I didn't step over the line when I said that was my grandchild," Jed says then. "I know your father's still alive. I didn't mean to-"

"No, sir, not at all," C.J. hurries to say. "I was very touched." Tears well in C.J.'s eyes again but she swallows them, determined not to cry. "My dad… he's… well he's not really here anymore. Most of the time he doesn't know who I am. I doubt he'd be able to actually be there for this kid."

"I'm sorry, C.J.." Jed squeezes her hand.

"It's alright. I've made my piece with it." It's true. She has. That doesn't make it any easier. "It means a lot to me that you want to be involved."

"You're family, Claudia Jean. And I'll make damn sure that kid doesn't miss out on any grandparent fun, you hear me?" C.J. laughs as Jed spins her around. Her heels are killing her, but she doesn't mind. This is worth it.

"Thank you, sir." The song ends and Danny comes up behind her.

"May I have this next dance?" C.J. rolls her eyes and places her hand in Danny's. Out of the corner of her eye, she watches as Jed wraps his arms around Abbey, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"I want us to be like that," C.J. says as she rests her hands on Danny's shoulders.

"We are like that," Danny laughs.

"No, I mean when we're older."

"We will be," Danny assures her, kissing her cheek. His hand feels nice on the small of her back as he pulls her closer.

"I don't hate every name you suggest," C.J. says.

"Okay?" Danny spins her around, her feet practically floating across the floor.

"No, I just mean- I don't hate them. Well except for Gail and Elvis. And maybe Norman… that one was particularly bad."

"See, you were doing so well. Apologizing and everything. And then you go ahead and ruin it," Danny jokes, a sparkle in his eyes as he watches her.

"Well… I tried." C.J. shrugs and reaches for Danny's tie, twisting it around her finger.

"Yeah. It's the thought that counts," Danny agrees.

"Mhm. The thought…" C.J. moves her face closer to Danny's, their noses only inches apart. Danny closes the distance between them, softly kissing her lips.

"Ey!" Jed yells from across the room. C.J. breaks away, smiling, her face red.

" _Jed!_ " Abbey hisses for probably the tenth time that evening. "Leave them alone!"

"Danny, I like you," Jed goes on, ignoring Abbey, "but I don't appreciate that kind of behavior." C.J. smiles at her feet, unable to look at Jed – or Danny for that matter.

"Sorry, sir. I'll try to control myself."

"Try harder," Jed mumbles and C.J. thinks she sees Abbey smack his arm. She shakes her head and hides her face in Danny's shoulder.

They dance until dessert is served accompanied by Abbey telling Jed he eats too much sugar and Jed telling her not to fuss. Danny chuckles to himself as he cuts his cake.

"Don't you laugh, Danny Concannon," Jed says, pointing his fork at Danny. "One day C.J. will forbid you from eating anything that brings you joy, and you'll remember this moment, wishing you had appreciated that chocolate cake more."

"He's not wrong, you know," C.J. tells Danny. "It'll be payback time for not allowing me to have coffee in the morning."

"These women. They'll be the end of us," Jed says and Danny agrees, earning both of them stern looks from both Abbey and C.J..

When diner is over and they decide to call it a night, Jed pulls C.J. aside by the door.

"I expect weekly calls, Claudia Jean," he tells her. "I want to know how you're doing. And don't you dare even _think_ about lying to me. I'll know."

"Alright, sir. I promise I won't lie," C.J. laughs, touched by his concern.

"And if there's ever anything you need – and I mean anything – don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you. That means a lot." Jed squeezes her hands pulls her down to kiss her cheek.

"I'm so happy for you, C.J.. Leo would be too." A lump forms in C.J.'s throat but she swallows it down. Abbey pushes Jed away and envelopes C.J. in a motherly hug.

"C.J., I really don't know who you thought you were fooling when you walked in here, acting like nothing was going on. You're glowing." Abbey gently strokes her cheek. The gesture reminds C.J. of how her mother would always put her hand on C.J.'s face when she had a nightmare and tell her everything would be alright.

"I don't know about that," C.J. dismisses her.

"You are!" Abbey insists. "Being pregnant suits you."

"That's because I haven't ballooned up yet," C.J. jokes, although she's only half kidding.

"Don't be silly. You'll still look gorgeous."

"Thank you," C.J. mumbles. Danny steps up behind her, his hand resting gently on her waist.

"You have to come visit us on the farm," Abbey insists as they step outside, a car already waiting for them.

"I'm sure we can figure something out," C.J. assures her.

"Don't forget about those calls!" Jed yells as he walks away.

"I won't!" C.J. yells back, waving goodbye. When the car drives away, C.J. and Danny stand in front of the restaurant for a moment.

"You did well in there," Danny tells her as he slips his hand into hers.

"Thanks."

"Feel better now?" They start walking back towards their apartment.

"A bit," C.J. sighs. She does feel better. It feels good to have told them, to know that they'll be there for her. But she still has that nagging feeling in her chest, that feeling that they're not entirely out of the woods yet. Danny stops, sensing something's wrong.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah?"

"It'll be okay." He tugs her hand, pulling her closer.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I do." Danny kisses the back of her hand. "And you'll be great." C.J. smiles at him, biting her lower lip. "You'll be the best mom."

"Yeah, I'll be pretty awesome."

"You'll read her bedtime stories and kiss her goodnight. And you'll walk her to school and comfort her when she's heartbroken and tell her the world is a better place because she's in it." C.J. gives Danny's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I've changed my mind again though. It's definitely a boy," C.J. says as they walk on.

"Yeah?"

"I know these things," she assures him.

"You said that the last twelve times before changing your mind," Danny reminds her.

"No, this time I'm _really_ sure," C.J. insists.

"If you say so." Danny shrugs and leads her across the street.

"I _do_ say so."

"Okay." Danny doesn't sound convinced.

"What?" C.J. laughs, her free hand resting on her stomach. She likes to keep it there, protecting her kid.

"I just think you're wrong," Danny says as they turn the corner.

"Oh yeah?" C.J. raises both her eyebrows at him. They stop in front of their apartment building. C.J. wraps her arms around Danny's neck, his hands resting protectively on her waist.

"Yeah."

"So, you think it's a girl?" C.J. pulls him a little closer.

"Mhm." His nose is only inches away from hers.

"Why?"

"Just a feeling," Danny tells her.

"Well you're feeling's wrong."

"We'll see," Danny says. 

"Yeah. We'll see," is all C.J. manages to get out before his lips are on hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this (rather long) chapter! And don't worry, the Bartlets will be back later. Reviews are always appreciated!


	7. red doors and swing sets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know how to describe this chapter. It's cute. It's sad. It's flirty. It's everything you want.

"Danny, this is silly," C.J. laughs. There's a bandana covering her eyes and Danny holds her hand as he leads her up what C.J. assumes is a driveway. They've looked at about a dozen different houses in the past week but none of them really felt like a place they could one day call home. But Danny had found this house while driving home from the supermarket and hasn't been able to shut up about it since. C.J. thinks it's kind of sweet – although she would never tell him – how he got so excited, he made her take a day off work just to see the house.

"Don't make fun," Danny tells her and stops. "You secretly think it's cute."

"I really don't," C.J. insists as she moves her head, trying to see past her nose.

"Ey! No peaking," Danny pokes her side.

"I wasn't peaking!" C.J. yells. She was totally peaking though.

"You ready?" Danny moves behind her and unties the bandana.

"Danny, _please_ ," C.J. sighs. "It isn't that big of a deal." The bandana is still covering her eyes. "It's just a house."

"It's _our_ house," Danny says and removes the bandana. The sunlight blinds C.J. for a second and she blinks a few times before her eyes adjust.

"Maybe – Oh, my god." C.J. covers her mouth with her hands, her eyes widen as she looks from Danny to the house and back again. "That's our house," she whispers, and Danny moves closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Do you like it?"

"Danny… I love it." C.J. scans the outside of the house. There's a small porch and a garden that goes all the way around. "The tree. Danny, there's a tree."

"Yes, I can see that," Danny laughs.

"No, but… We can put a swing up there. Or a treehouse. Or both." Tears form in her eyes.

"You want a treehouse?" Danny teases.

"Not for me, nimrod. For Peanut." C.J. slaps his hand and turns around. "It's perfect," she whispered as she leans in a softly kisses his lips.

"You wanna go inside?" Danny asks. A giant smile spreads across C.J.'s face.

"Yeah." Danny takes her hand and leads her to the front door. It's red. Like the one they had in the first house she can remember. Before they moved to a bigger one. Before her mother died. Danny knocks on the door.

"Someone's inside?"

"The real estate agent," Danny says. "You know, the person who's trying to sell us the house?"

"Right. Yes. That person." The door opens and a small woman in a green suit greets them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Concannon, come on in," she says, a bright smile on her face.

"Oh, we're not-" C.J. begins but Danny cuts her off.

"Nice to meet you. Sarah, is it?"

"Yes, that's right." They all shake hands before they're led inside. C.J. hardly pays any attention to what she's telling them as they walk through the empty house. As they enter the kitchen, C.J. can almost see Danny cooking breakfast while their child sits in a highchair babbling away. She sees the pictures they're going to put up on the fridge and hears the laughter that will fill the room in the mornings. In the living room, C.J. imagines the nights they're going to spend on the sofa, watching trashy TV after they've put the baby to bed. C.J. slips her hand into Danny's as they walk, giving it a small squeeze.

"I love it," she whispers to him on their way up the stairs. Danny kisses her cheek.

Sarah leads them into the bedroom and stays in the hallway as they have a look around.

"Don't say something dirty," C.J. mumbles. "Or inappropriate." Danny runs his hand down her back, dangerously close to her ass.

"I would never," he whispers, his lips brushing her ear.

" _Danny_ ," she hisses but there's a smile on her face. They step back out where Sarah is waiting to lead them down the hall into the next room.

"I thought this could be the baby's room," Danny whispers as they step inside. Sarah tells them something about the morning sun or natural light but C.J. isn't listening. She thinks about the small crib they could put beneath the window and the shelves they could put up and fill with books about animals or flowers or whatever those baby books are about. C.J. lets her hand rest on her stomach as she wanders around the room, taking it all in.

" _It's perfect_ ," she mouths. After Sarah has showed them the guest bedroom and the basement, she leaves C.J. and Danny to have a look around on their own. "Danny, I can't believe this."

"Do you really like it?" Danny walks closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Danny, it's amazing. I love it," she assures him, her hands resting on Danny's shoulders.

"There's a pool in the back," Danny informs her, leaning closer.

"Is that so?" C.J. lifts her eyebrows and smirks at Danny.

"Mhm," he says before placing a soft kiss on her lips. C.J. has a feeling this won't be the last time he'll kiss her like this. In their house. In their living room. C.J. pulls away.

"Danny?"

"Yes?" He brushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. It's curlier than it used to be. She likes it better that way.

"The house seems awfully big for only three people, don't you think?" C.J. asks, her finger delicately tracing one of his buttons.

"What? You want a dog or something?" he laughs. C.J. rolls her eyes at him.

" _No_." She pauses. "I'm just saying… maybe Peanut won't be the only tiny human living in this house." A smile spreads across Danny's face as he draws circles on her back.

"Really?"

"I mean, I always thought being an only child must be so lonely. I have two brothers and you have like a million siblings."

"Only four," Danny cuts in.

"Still a lot." C.J. offers him a soft smile. "I wouldn't want our kid to miss out on that. Just something to think about."

"Yeah. Something to think about." Danny kisses her cheek before untangling himself from their embrace and leading C.J. back into the kitchen where Sarah is waiting for them to talk about what to do next and C.J. isn't as scared as she thought she would be.

Back in the car, C.J. looks out the window and can't stop ta few tears from rolling down her cheeks as they drive away. She hurriedly wipes her face with the sleeve of her sweater.

"You okay?" Danny asks as they stop at a red light. He looks over at her and C.J. waves her hand, dismissing him.

"Hormones," she mumbles. But Danny's not buying it.

"C.J…."

"It's nothing."

"You can tell me." The light turns green. Danny turns his attention back on the road.

"It's just… that house… It reminded me of the house we lived in until I was five. With the red door and the tree and the scary basement."

"You thought the basement was scary?" C.J. laughs.

"It was dark!" she insists.

"Yes, you're right. It was terrifying."

"Don't make fun of me." C.J. playfully slaps his shoulder. "I'm carrying _your_ child, you have to be nice to me."

"I am nice to you," Danny reminds her.

"Most of the time."

"All the time," Danny corrects. C.J. huffs.

"Yeah, right." He really is though.

"Anyways… you were saying?" C.J. smiles down at her hands.

"Oh, nothing. It just reminded me of my mom."

"Tell my about her," Danny says.

"My mom?"

"Yeah. If you want to." Danny smiles at her for a second before looking back at the road.

"She was… She was amazing. She would read me and my brothers a story every night before we went to sleep. And she would braid my hair in the morning. After she died, I never wore braids again." C.J. smiles sadly at the memory but the thought of how one day she might braid her own kid's hair warms her heart. "And whenever I was sad, I would crawl into her lap and tell her about what was bothering me. And she would kiss my forehead, make tea and tell me everything was going to be okay." C.J. feels quiet tears roll down her cheek and she doesn't do anything to stop them. "I told her everything. Even when she was sick- when she was dying in the hospital, I would visit and tell her all about my day. And in for maybe an hour, everything was back to normal. For one hour, my mother wasn't sick, and I wasn't about to say goodbye to her. For one hour, everything was fine." C.J. takes a deep breath before continuing. "And then a doctor would come in and roll her out of the room so she could have her chemotherapy or take some blood test or try to make her eat something. And I would have to wait outside in the hallway until my dad came to pick me up. Sometimes I sat out there for hours, reading the books my English teacher gave me, and when I came back in to say goodbye, I could see that she'd been crying." They stop in front of their apartment building. Neither of them moves. Danny looks over at C.J. and reaches out to take her shaking hand in his steady one.

"When did she get sick?" Danny asks carefully.

"When I was six," C.J. says, looking up to meet Danny's eyes. "It was right after we moved."

"C.J., you're not going to get sick," Danny assures her, squeezing her hand.

"No, I know." C.J. nods, drawing circles on the back of Danny's hand. "The house just reminded me of my mom. That's all. I'm okay. Really."

"You don't have to be okay, C.J.. You don't have to be strong." Danny reaches over and wipes her tears away with his thumb. "You don't have to tell me. And I know you're trying, I know this is hard for you. I only want you tell me what you're comfortable with. But you know I'm here, right?" C.J. nods and moves her head, kissing Danny's palm.

"I know. Thank you." She takes a deep breath. "It's just been a while since I've talked about her."

"You look like her," Danny says and unbuckles his seatbelt so he can turn around to face her. Her eyes are red and puffy, and her cheeks are stained with tears.

"How do you know?" C.J. sniffs.

"I've seen pictures," Danny tells her.

"That's not the same. She was beautiful."

"You're beautiful." Danny leans over and kisses the tip of her nose. C.J. smiles and gently punches his shoulder.

"I was ten when she died," C.J. says suddenly. Danny holds her hands in his. "I remember because it was my friend Cara's birthday. We were only one week apart. We were at Cara's house watching some really bad rom com. I can't even remember what it was. I just know that the phone rang in the other room and that Cara's mom came in, white as a sheet, and asked me to come with her. I knew then. I knew she was dead. I could see it in her face. But she didn't tell me. She just said she would drive me to the hospital. When we got there, my mom's hands were already cold." C.J. squeezes Danny's hands tightly as if to make sure that he's still very much alive. He leans over and kisses her tearstained face. His beard tickles her skin, making her giggle.

"I love you, Claudia," he tells her.

" _I love you_ ," she mouths and leans her forehead against his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm a sucker for backstory so this was fun. Reviews and comments are as always deeply appreciated.


	8. can't sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one's for liv because why not?

There has been a shooting at a local school. It’s all over the news. C.J. sits on the sofa, her eyes glued to the screen. She nervously wrings her hands in her lap, desperately trying to slow down her breathing. Images of crying parents and ambulances flash across the screen. C.J. wants to close her eyes, to shut it all out, but she can’t. It seems impossible for her to take her eyes off the TV. A young woman is sobbing in a man’s arms, maybe her husband’s or just a kind stranger's, and paramedics tend to wounded children. C.J. hears the front door unlock - _that will be Danny,_ _coming home from the store_ \- but she can’t bring herself to turn around.

“I’m back,” he yells. He receives no response from C.J., who only watches the screen. “C.J.?” She can hear him enter the living room and come up behind her. “What happened?” he asks, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

“School shooting,” C.J. mumbles.

“That’s terrible.” C.J. nods, her hand reaching up to take his. “Are you all right?” Danny kneels down and softly tugs her hands. He can read her so easily it’s almost scary sometimes.

“Yeah,” C.J. whispers, not taking her eyes off the TV. Danny reaches for the remote and turns it off. C.J. simply stares at the black emptiness.

“C.J.?” Danny gives her hands a gentle squeeze.

“Yeah?”

“Look at me?” Danny says, trying to catch her eye. C.J. turns her head and meets Danny’s searching gaze. “You’re not okay.” It’s a statement, not a question. C.J. shakes her head. “Talk to me?” C.J. opens her mouth but no words come out. “C.J., what’s going on?”

“They shot seven children, Danny,” C.J. whispers. “ _Seven children_. Two of them had just started school.” She can feel the lump in her throat and tries hard to swallow it down. Danny reaches up and wipes the hot tears that roll down her cheeks away. “They were just children, Danny,” C.J. cries, the tears now falling quickly, beyond her control.

“C.J., what’s this about?”

C.J. frowns, her brows almost touching.

“What do you mean, what’s this about? Seven school children were just shot dead fifteen minutes from here,” C.J. yells, jumping from the sofa. Danny stands but leaves a few feet between them, giving her some space.

“Yes, I know, but you weren’t even this upset when Josh got shot,” Danny points out. “These things happen, and they’re horrible, but-”

“Eight years, Danny!” C.J. yells, tears still streaming down her face.

“Sorry?”

“Eight years. That’s how long I was in the White House. That’s how long I worked with the most powerful man in the world. And what good did it do? If these things still happen? If parents can’t even send their kids to school without the fear of them not returning home that day-” C.J.’s voice breaks and she wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “What good did it do if we can’t even keep our children safe, Danny?” Her voice is no more than a whisper. Danny carefully steps towards her, his hand finding hers.

“C.J., you were never going to solve school shootings in those eight years,” Danny says and pulls her a little closer.

“But Danny-” C.J. takes a deep breath, collecting herself. “What if we can’t keep _our_ kid safe?” C.J. subconsciously places her free hand on her stomach.

“I can’t promise you that nothing bad will ever happen to her, but I can tell you that I’ll keep her safe, C.J.. That _we’ll_ keep her safe.” C.J. looks at him, tears welling from her eyes.

“But you can't promise that,” C.J. sobs. “ _You can't, Danny_.”

“No, C.J., no one can promise that. But we can do our best.” Danny squeezes her hand and tugs a strand of hair behind her ear. There’s a pained – almost desperate – look in his eyes, as if he doesn’t know what to do. “C.J., please talk to me.”

C.J. looks away like he can hardly bare to look at him. 

“I’m scared, Danny,” she admits. “Not in a ‘I’m scared I won’t know what to do’ kind of way. Although that’s pretty scary too – but that’s not the point.”

“What’s the point then?”

“The point is,” C.J. says, taking a deep breath. “I can’t sleep at night. I can’t concentrate at work. I can’t do anything without thinking about how to keep our kid safe. I worry about her walking to school, or choking on a piece of LEGO or- or- or when she wants to drive a car and go out and drink and take drugs and- and kiss boys or girls and… How do we keep her safe, Danny?” C.J. trails off at the end, her voice no more than a whisper. She aggressively shoves the tears away, leaving red marks on her cheeks. Danny pulls her closer, taking her hands, holding them still.

“I don’t know _how_ , darling. I don’t. But we’ll do our best. That’s all we _can_ do,” Danny says and kisses her knuckles.

“Aren’t you scared?” C.J. asks.

“I’m terrified,” Danny replies. “You have no idea. But we can do this. I know we can.” C.J. offers him a kind smile. “We’ll learn and we’ll get better. Everything will be all right in the end. I need you to know that. I need you to have a little bit of faith in us.” Danny tugs her hands and pulls her to his chest. C.J. rests her head on his shoulder and wraps her arms around his neck.

“I do have faith in us,” she whispers. Danny’s hands rest on the small of her back, drawing circles with the tip of his finger. It might be silly – cheesy even – but his arms are her favorite place to be. The way they fit so comfortably around her waist like they were always meant to be there.

“You can be scared, Claudia. But we can’t live our lives in fear.” C.J. smiles when he calls her Claudia. 

“You’re right. But I’ll still worry,” C.J. says, much calmer now than she was a minute ago.

“I know you will.” Danny turns his head a little and kisses her hair. 

“And I’ll still be scared,” C.J. adds, only half joking. Danny pulls away a bit and gently frames her face with his hands. C.J. places her own hands on his wrists, blinking away the last tears.

“Can you really not sleep?” Danny asks, a concerned look covering his face. C.J. shrugs.

“I sleep a bit. I wake up most nights though,” C.J. admits. She doesn’t meet his eyes.

“Why don’t you wake me up?” Danny asks, softly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

“I didn’t want to disturb you,” C.J. says.

“Disturb me next time,” Danny tells her before pulling her closer, and gently places his lips on hers. C.J. leans into him and deepens the kiss, letting her hands ghost over Danny’s shoulders until they find their place on his neck. His lips are soft but his beard tickles her skin and makes her giggle until she has to break the kiss.

“Better now?” Danny asks, smiling kindly at her.

“A bit,” C.J. admits.

“I’m glad.” Danny kisses her nose before taking a step back. “Also, I see you’ve changed your mind again.”

“What?” C.J. laughs. She follows Danny into the kitchen where he left the groceries.

“You said she. Yesterday you were trying to convince me that it was one hundred percent, definitely and without doubt a boy,” Danny says as he takes food out of the bags and puts them into the fridge. C.J. would offer to help but Danny has a special system for where everything goes and C.J. really can’t bother to memorize it all.

“I’ve told you before that you really shouldn’t take me seriously when I say things like that. I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff.” C.J. sits down at the table.

“What happened to your motherly instinct?” Danny teases as he puts on the kettle.

“Shut up.” C.J. rolls her eyes at him.

“You were the one who brought it up,” Danny points out and grabs two mugs from the cupboard. He puts a teabag in each of them before filling them with hot water. He hands C.J. one of the mugs and sits down next to her at the table. C.J. wraps her hands around the cup, letting it warm her fingers. They sit in silence for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. “We’ll be okay, you know?” he says then. C.J. looks up and meets his glance. “We’ll be okay you and I.”

“I know,” C.J. says.

“You sure?”

C.J. nods and reaches out to take Danny’s hand.

“Yeah,” she whispers. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DON'T KNOW WHY I KEEP MAKING EVERYTHING SO SAD IM SORRY! reviews and comments are always appreciated!!!!


	9. meet the concannons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, people. I'm back. Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I hope this really long chapter makes up for it.  
> Anyways. Enjoy.  
> This one's for Liv.

“I can’t believe you got me to say yes to this,” C.J. complains as she fidgets with her seatbelt, struggling to close it.

“You’ll be fine,” Danny assures her. The seatbelt clicks shut and C.J. leans back in her chair.

“Yeah?” she exhales.

“You’ve met my sister,” Danny points out, reaching over to take C.J.’s hand.

“Yeah. Sister. Singular. One. Not all three. Plus your brother. And your parents. And your parent’s dog.” C.J. nervously places her free hand on her stomach.

“C.J., calm down. You’ll be fine. They’ll love you.” Danny leans over and gently kisses her temple. C.J. closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, squeezing Danny’s hand as if her life depends on it. She knows it’s silly but the last time she met a boyfriend’s parents, he stood her up the next the day and C.J. can’t quite bring herself to believe that the same thing won’t happen again. She’s being stupid, she knows, this is _Danny_ but even so… He carefully tugs her hand and C.J. opens her eyes, turning to look at him.

“What’s going on up there?” he asks, poking her forehead. C.J. smiles and leans into Danny. 

“Nothing,” she assures him. “I’m just nervous.” She lets her head rest on Danny’s shoulder as she looks out of the airplane window.

“That’s okay,” Danny assures her. “But you don’t have to be. My sister will make sure to embarrass me one way or another, so you really don’t have to worry.” C.J. slaps playfully slaps his arm.

“Don’t make fun of me,” she mumbles.

“I’m not!” Danny insists but C.J can hear the smile in his voice.

“Go away,” C.J. tells Danny but she snuggles closer to him as the plane starts to take off. 

She feels herself drift off and before she knows it, they’ve hit the ground again and Danny is gently nudging her awake. C.J. rubs her eyes and sits up straight.

“Was I asleep the whole time?” she asks, stiffening a yawn.

“You moved around a bit… hit me in the face but other than that, yeah.” Danny rubs his cheek where her fist apparently made contact with him in her sleep. C.J. only feels a little sorry. She leans over and kisses him quickly.

“Better?” she asks. Danny shrugs.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” She kisses him again just for the sake of it.

When they get outside, they’re met by Danny’s sister, waiting by the car. She has the same red hair and bright smile as Danny and C.J. isn’t sure if this is comforting or if it just makes the whole situation more frightening. Danny gives his sister a hug and she messes up his hair before turning to C.J.. 

“Hi,” she says. “You must be C.J..”

“That’s me,” C.J. laughs as she’s pulled into a hug. 

“I’m Carla.” 

“Danny’s told me so much about you,” C.J. says and helps Danny with his luggage. Danny gently nudges her hand away when she tries to lift her own suitcase. She wants to tell him she’s pregnant, not _dying_ but she decides to save it for later. 

“Only good things I hope,” Carla replies as she opens the car door. “C.J., why don’t you sit in the front with me? Danny can be confined to the back seat.”

C.J. laughs and gets into the passenger seat.

“How was your flight?” Carla asks when they’re out on the motor way. 

“Well, C.J. slept the whole time so I wouldn’t ask her,” Danny says. C.J. turns around in her seat and smacks his shoulder. 

“The flight was fine, thank you for asking,” C.J. tells her. “Thanks for picking us up as well.” 

“Of course! Couldn’t pass up my chance to talk to you alone for twenty minutes before Gracie steals you away to talk about politics.” Carla smiles at C.J. who feels herself blush. 

“You’re too kind.” 

“Don’t feel too flattered yet. Wait until Gracie's got you corned and won’t let you go for hours.”

“Oh, she’s not kidding,” Danny says from the back seat. “Gracie _will not_ let you go. She’s been wanting to meet you for _years_.”

C.J. can feel her cheeks burn and wonders if Carla can tell how nervous she is. She turns around so she can look at Danny. 

“You’re not exactly calming my nerves,” she tells him. 

“Right. Sorry,” Danny says, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. 

“Don’t be nervous,” Carla assures C.J.. “They’ll all love you. They already do.” C.J. laughs and tugs her hair behind her ear.

They pull up in the driveway of the house Danny used to grow up in. There’s a swing set in the tree like the one she wants for their house one day. Hers and Danny’s.

“This is it,” Danny says as he helps her out of the car. She doesn’t need his help, not really, but she’s glad he’s there to hold her hand, nonetheless. He gives it a gentle squeeze before he walks over to the trunk and takes out both of their suitcases, carrying them inside. C.J. follows him, Carla already half way through the hallway. They're met by a big dog that seems to be a mix of every kind of dog there is. It wags its tail and sniffs them before running back to where it came from.

“Mom! Dad!” Calra yells. “Danny and C.J. are here.” C.J. reaches for Danny’s hand as soon as he drops the suitcases on the floor. A small woman comes out of the kitchen, followed by a man who’s about a head taller than C.J.. The woman walks straight past Danny and holds her hands out to C.J..

“You must be Claudia Jean, I’m Marlene,” she says, beaming at her the way Danny does. 

“C.J.’s fine,” she says nervously.

“Nice to meet you,” Danny’s mother tells her and pulls her in for a hug. C.J. has to lean down quite a bit to embrace Marlene but she immediately feels safe in the older woman’s arms.

“You too,” C.J. says when Marlene has let her go.

“Danny has told us so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” C.J. can see Danny blush out of the corner of her eye and can’t help but smile. 

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course. Don’t be silly. You’re welcome here any time, dearie.” She gently strokes the side of C.J.’s arms before she moves on to Danny and C.J. gets to greet his father.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, C.J.,” he tells her in an Irish accent as he shakes her hand. “I used to watch your briefings on the telly when your guy was still in office.” 

“Thank you, sir,” C.J. says and stands up a little straighter.

“Please, call me John.”

“Right. John.”

“Why don’t you come into the living room?” Marlene says then. “There’s some tea and cake.”

“Did you bake it?” Danny asks.

“No, of course not,” Marlene laughs. “You kids wouldn’t touch it if I had.” Danny leans over to C.J..

“Mom’s a terrible baker,” he whispers in her ear.

“Ey! I heard that, Daniel,” Marlene says and slaps her son’s arm.

“It’s true!” Danny protests. C.J. laughs and follows Danny into the living room. They sit down next to each other on the couch and Danny’s mother hands her a cup of tea. 

“Thank you,” C.J. says and takes a sip just to have something to do. Danny puts his hand on her knee and gives it a gentle squeeze. 

“You’re doing great,” he whispers. C.J. smiles at him in return. Carla enters the room, shoving a grumpy looking teenage girl in front of her. The girl’s face lights up when she sees Danny. 

“Uncle Danny!” she exclaims and runs over to him. Danny stands up and gives her a big hug. 

“Hello Mary,” he laughs as he lets her go. He puts his hands on her shoulders and takes a step back to get a good look at her. “Have you grown? You must have.”

Mary rolls her eyes.

“Right, right,” Danny says. “I’m being a boring grown up.”

Mary nods eagerly, both eyebrows raised. Danny turns to C.J. who stands up to say hello.

“C.J., this is Mary, my niece. Mary this is C.J..”

“Yeah, Uncle Danny, I know who C.J. Cregg is,” Mary says and holds out her hand. C.J. takes it. “It’s such an honor to meet you. Grandpa and I watched your briefings together all the time. I even have a tshirt with your face on it.” C.J. laughs at that and can’t help but blush a little. 

“Well, I’m glad you liked the briefings,” she says.

“Are you kidding? You’re like the coolest person _ever_! My favorite thing was when you made Uncle Danny look like a complete idiot for asking some dumb question."

“Ey!” Danny protests. “I never looked like an idiot.”

“But you did,” C.J. says. “Most of the time.”

“I’m starting to regret bringing you here,” Danny tells her, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, you clearly didn’t think this through.”

“I have _so many_ questions,” Mary says and takes C.J. by the hand, leading her over to the other side of the room.

“Mary be nice,” Carla shouts and Mary just waves at her. But before Mary can bombard C.J. with questions, the front door opens and two small children, a girl and a boy, come running into the living room. 

“Nana!” the little girl yells and runs into Marlene’s open arms. 

“Hello there,” Marlene laughs and picks up her granddaughter. The boy stands shyly in the background until Danny walks over to him and picks him up.

“How’re you doing, little man?” 

“Good,” the boy says and gives Danny a big thumbs up. C.J. excuses herself and slowly walks over to them.

“C.J., this is Thomas,” Danny says when she reaches him.

“Hi, Thomas,” C.J. says and waves at him. “And how old are you?” Thomas holds up four fingers. “Four?” C.J. exclaims. “Wow. That’s awesome.” The boy nods and hides his face in Danny’s shoulder. Suddenly, someone gently tugs C.J.’s hand. She looks down and sees Danny’s little niece standing by her feet.

“Hello,” C.J. says and kneels down so she’s on her level. “Who are you?”

“I’m Taylor,” she says. “Are you Miss C.J.?”

“I’m C.J., yes.”

“Are you Uncle Danny’s wife?” the little girl wants to know. C.J. laughs a little and feels her cheeks turn pink.

“No, I’m not Danny’s wife. I’m his- ehr- girlfriend?”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool.” Taylor says. She gently reaches out to touch C.J.’s necklace with her small fingers. “I like your necklace. It’s pretty,” she says.

“Aww thank you. Danny gave it to me,” C.J. tells her.

“I want to see too,” Thomas says and wriggles out of Danny’s arms to stand next to his sister. He studies the necklace carefully before he nods in agreement. “I like it too,” he tells C.J.. 

“Kids, are you being nice to C.J.?” someone says. C.J. stands up and turns around. A woman, about the same height as C.J., with orange locks falling around her elegant face and a bright smile on her lips has just entered the room. She’s holding a sleeping baby in her arms. She looks like a perfect mix between Marlene and John. Behind her stands another woman. She’s has beautiful brown curly hair which she has tied into a messy bun and her dark eyes look like they hold all the wisdom of the world. The twins look so much like her, it’s a little spooky.

“You must be Grace,” C.J. says and holds out her hand. Danny’s sister shakes it. “And you’re Sarah, right?” C.J. shakes the other woman’s hand. 

“Yes, that's me,” she says.

“It’s lovely to meet you both,” C.J. tells them.

“And you,” says Grace. “And you can call me Gracie, by the way. Everyone in the family does.” C.J. smiles. The baby in Gracie’s arms starts to wake up.

“And who’s this little one?” C.J. asks as Sarah walks over to say hello to the rest of Danny’s family.

“Oh, this is Lily,” Gracie says. The little girl lifts her head slightly and looks up at C.J.. 

“Well, aren’t you adorable?” C.J. waves her finger at Lily who reaches out her tiny hand and grabs hold of it. 

“You wanna hold her?” Gracie asks. “I mean you don’t have to.”

“No, no, I’d love to.” C.J. can’t remember the last time she held a child in her arms. It must have been when Huck and Molly were small. She holds out her arms to take Lily from Gracie.

 _Now would be a really bad time to trip_ , C.J. thinks to herself. _Whatever you do, do not drop the baby._

Lily protests a little at first but then starts happily playing C.J.’s shirt. C.J. gently bounces Lily up and down, humming a song to her. With her free hand she caresses Lily’s chubby little cheek and strokes her hair out of her eyes.

“Aren’t you the most adorable thing in the world,” C.J. says in that weird high-pitched voice people use when they talk to babies. Or dogs. She doesn’t know why. “I could just take you home.”

“C.J., please don’t steal my niece, I think you’d get in trouble,” Danny says from behind her. She hadn’t even noticed he was there.

“You think the police would have a problem with that?”

“I think my sister would have a problem with that.” Lily holds out her hand to Danny and wraps it around his finger.

“How am I doing?” C.J. leans in and whispers.

“You’re doing great. I think my mom is ready to adopt you if we break up just so she can keep you in the family,” Danny tells her. C.J. chuckles. The loving look in Danny's eyes as he watches her with Lily doesn't go unnoticed. 

“Are you planning on breaking up with me?” she teases.

“We’ll see.”

C.J. rolls her eyes at him.

“You’re such an idiot,” she states.

“Who’s an idiot?” someone says from behind C.J.. When she turns around, she seems Eleanor, Danny’s youngest sister. C.J. smiles, happy to see a familiar face.

“Eleanor!” she exclaims as she awkwardly hugs her, trying not to squish the baby between them.

“C.J., I’m so excited to see you.” Eleanor kisses her cheek and then turns to her brother. “Are you behaving yourself, Daniel?” Danny rolls his eyes as he hugs her.

“Where have you left your kids?” he asks.

“Oh, they’re with Mark. He’s driving up with them tomorrow.”

“Ah.”

“It’s so good to see you again, C.J..” Eleanor says and gives C.J.’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“You too. I’m glad there’s someone here that I know,” she laughs.

“If Gracie has let you hold her baby, you’re fine,” Eleanor says.

“I see.” The two women chat for a little while longer and Danny walks over to talk to his parents until Danny's brother Simon and his wife Emily finally appear. They’re followed by three children between the ages thirteen and seventeen. Two boys and one girl.

“Sorry we’re late,” he says as he hugs Marlene. “Someone needed to pee, so we had to stop and find a place.”

“Oh, shut up,” Emily says and slaps his arm. Once she’s said hello to Danny’s parents, Emily makes her way to C.J..

“You’re C.J., right?” she asks. C.J. nods her head yes. “I’m Emily. Simon’s wife.”

“Nice to meet you, Emily,” C.J. says. They shake hands. 

“You too, C.J.. We’ve all heard so much about you. I’m so glad you came.” Emily has a warm smile and kind eyes. C.J. immediately feels comfortable around her. Danny comes up behind C.J., his hand resting on the small of her back. 

“Can I steal you away for a second?” he asks.

“Yeah, sure.” C.J. starts walking out of the room with him. Danny stops her.

“Ehr, C.J.?”

“Yeah?”

“The baby?”

“Oh, right.” C.J. turns to Emily. “Do you mind?” 

“No, not at all.” Emily takes Lily from C.J.’s arms.

Her and Danny walk into the corridor.

“What’s up?” C.J. asks. “Everything all right?” 

“Yeah. Yeah. Everything’s great. You’re doing great. They all love you.”

C.J. smiles.

“Okay?”

“I was just thinking – and we don’t have to if you don’t want to – but I was just thinking that maybe – since everyone’s here – we could tell them. About, you know, the baby.” Danny’s looking down at his feet. C.J. takes his hand. “I mean we don’t have to – not if you’re not ready – but I know we talked about it and I thought it would be easier-“

“Danny-“

“-to just get it over with now and then it’s out in the world, you know? But if you don’t-“

“Danny-“

“- want to then we totally don’t have to, I mean it’s completely up to you, I just thought-“

“Danny, oh my god, just shut up for a second!”

Danny’s head snaps up and he looks her straight in the eye.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. 

“It’s okay. You’re kind of cute when you ramble on like that. Sometimes. A little bit.” 

“So…?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, we can tell them,” C.J. says then. And she’s not as scared as she thought she would be.

“Really?” Danny asks.

“Really.”

“Okay.” Danny gently tugs C.J.’s hand and pulls her a little closer. “I love you.”

“I know.” C.J. winks at him and walks past him, back into the living room. Danny follows her, their fingers intertwined. 

“Listen up, people,” he says. Everyone turns to face them. C.J. squeezes Danny’s hand as hard as she can. The reality of what they’re about to do slowly creeps in. “Okay so… C.J. and I have something we’d like to tell you all.” 

“You’re getting married,” Gracie interrupts.

“Gracie, shut up and let them talk,” Carla says.

"I'm just saying..." 

"Gracie, be quiet," Eleanor tells her. 

“No, we’re not getting married,” Danny laughs. “But…” He takes a deep breath. “C.J.’s pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it to the end! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to post more regularly in the future. Comments are always appreciated.


End file.
